9 Not Slowing Down

CHAPTER 9 Not Slowing Down Bruce was getting older, but that didn't mean he was slowing down! Between 2004 and 2014, Bruce released six new albums. In his sixties, he was still a highly energetic performer. He'd still play three-hour shows, running along the stage and then sliding on his knees. Bruce brought fans onstage to sing with him. Sometimes Bruce even crowd-surfed!

In 2009, Bruce and his band performed in the halftime show at the Super Bowl. The band played their hits for twelve minutes in Tampa, Florida, when the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Arizona Cardinals. There were over seventy thousand people at the stadium and over one hundred million people saw the show on television. Bruce and the E Street Band had come a long way from their small shows in Asbury Park.

The band celebrated the good times, but there were sad times, too. In 2008, Danny Federici passed away from cancer. Danny played the organ and accordion in the E Street Band. Bruce had played with Danny since 1968. It was a hard loss. In 2011, Clarence Clemons suffered a serious stroke at his home in Florida. As soon as Bruce heard, he flew from Europe to be with him. He sat next to Clarence's bed and played the guitar for three hours. Clarence passed away soon after. At the funeral, Bruce spoke about the impact Clarence's friendship had on him. He

said, "Clarence was big and he made me feel and think and love and dream big." Even though Bruce's life was busy with music and tours, his children were always most important to him. When Bruce and Patti returned to the Jersey Shore in the mid-1990s, they raised their family only a short drive away from where Bruce had grown up. However, Bruce's kids had a very different childhood from their dad. They had a big house and yard. Evan and Jessica both graduated from college, unlike their dad. Youngest child Sam became a

firefighter in New Jersey, which made his father so proud. As for Bruce, he kept on writing, but now he had new audiences. Bruce became an author. In November 2014, a picture book he wrote called Outlaw Pete was published. "Outlaw Pete" is also the name of one of Bruce's songs. In the story, a six-month-old baby goes on some adventures in the Wild West. Does that sound familiar? Bruce said that one reason he wrote the story was because of a book his mother had read him each night when he was a young boy—Brave Cowboy

Bill. Even over sixty years later, Bruce used memories from his childhood in his art. In March 2012, Bruce gave a speech at South by Southwest. South by Southwest (also known as SXSW) is a music, film, and tech festival held each year in Austin, Texas. People with new ideas come from all over the world to the festival. Bruce spoke to a large group of hopeful musicians. Many of them had listened to Bruce's music when they were growing up, just as a younger Bruce had listened to Elvis, Bob Dylan, and the Beatles. Bruce urged the crowd to play their music with all their hearts. He said, "And stay hard, stay hungry, and stay alive. And when you walk onstage tonight to bring the noise, treat it like it's all we have. And then remember, it's only rock and roll."